Sorting machine



June 6, 1944. E. J. RABENDA Erm.

SORTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 50, `194:5

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A TTORNE Y Patented .lune 6, i944 unirse STATES gram ori-lcs SORTIN G MACHINE Application September 30, 1943, Serial No. 504,386

2 Claims.

This invention relates to card sorting machines and more'particularly machines for sorting Well known perforatedrecord cards known as Hollerith cards.

The principal object of the invention is to improve a sorting machine so that it may handle cards of considerably greater thickness than the usual record cards.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved protection devices responsive to stop the machine in the event of any irregularity in the feeding of the cards to thereby prevent socalled jamming and consequent damage to the delicate parts of the apparatus.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description' and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central section through the essential operating devices of a well known form of sorting machine.

Fig. 2 is a wiring diagram of the electrical circuits of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a timing diagram of certain cam controlled contacts utilized in carrying out the objects of the invention.

The type of sorting machine to which the invention has been applied is that of Patent 1,741,- 985 to E. A. Ford dated December 31, 1929, and a brief explanation will first be given to set forth the manner of operation of such machine. Record cards generally designated I (Fig. 1) are placed in magazine II, from the bottom of which reciprocating picker mechanism I2 advances the lowermost card through a throat I3 to a pair of feed rollers I4 which advance the card past the sorting brush I5. As the card passes the brush, electrical connection is made through a perforation therein with the common contact roller I6 which completes a circuit to the sorting magnet I'I. The action of the sorting magnet will draw downwardly on its armature I8. Lying on top of the armature are the ends I9 of a group of sorting blades of different lengths as indicated, which run back to the different sorting pockets 20, two of which are shown in Fig. 1.

The spaces between the blades form passages which extend back to the several pockets, so that a card entering into any passage will be conveyed by the guide rollers 2| to the appropriate pocket. Selection of the particular passageway is controlled by the record card I0 and is determined 55 by its position with respect to vbrush I5, at the time when the circuit through a perforation is completed to energize magnet I1. To illustrate, if. a circuit is completed through a perforation at the time card I0 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, armature I8 is drawn downwardly and the blades I9 to the left of the leading edge of the card will drop down with the armature, while the remaining blades are held up by the record card itself, so that continued movement of the record card will cause it to enter the passage thus opened by the relative movement of the blades I9.

This briefly describes the operation of the wellknown sorting mechanism, and the record cards as usually fed through the machine have a thickness of about .007 of an inch. For particular kinds of accounting, a card of about .021 of an inch in thickness is employed and such card has greater rigidity than the usual tabulating cards.

A special device has been vprovided in the machine which is in the form of a lever 22 pivoted at 23, whose lower end normally lies slightly above the record cards as they pass through the machine. This lever is rocked ccunterclockwise by solenoid 2li against the action of spring 25 whenever a record card is fed into the first sorting pocket 20, which is known as the reject pocket. It will be noted that a card is directed into the reject pocket when no perforation is sensed by the brush I5, so that the card passes beneath-all of the blades I9 and is deflected into this first pocket. The point at which deflection occurs is at the rst pair of feed rollers 2|, and with the thicker .card of greater rigidity the tendency of the card is to remain flat so that the trailing end thereof bears upwardly against one or more of the blades I9, which is undesirable as this would open an erroneous passage for the next following record card.

Accordingly, through ak circuit arrangement which will presently be explained, the solenoid 24 is energized whenever it is determined that the card passing the brush I5 is to go to the reject pocket. This will rock lever 22 counterclockwise about its pivot 23 and cause the lower end of the lever to bear down on the card until it has passed the extremity of the lever. The effect of this is to hold the trailing edge of the card in a horizontal plane and prevent lifting of such end as the forward end of the card is deflected downwardly into the reject pocket 20.

At the right end of Fig. l is shown a shaft 26 suitably geared to the main shaft of the machine and upon which several contact operating cams are mounted and timed to make one revolution for each card fed through the machine. The contacts controlled by these cams are shown in the diagram (Fig. 2) and their time of operation with respect to a card feeding cycle is shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 2, current is supplied to left side of the line 30 and right side of the line 3|. Closure of the usual start key contacts 32 completes a circuit from line 30, contacts 32, start relay RI, relays R2 and R3 in parallel to line 3|. Relays R2 and R3 close their contacts R2a and Ria, respectively, to complete a circuit through the driving motor M of the machine. This motor in the usual way operates the picker mechanism and the card feed rollers, so that a card'is advanced from the stacker Il. As the card advances toward brush I5, the usual card lever contacts 33 are closed so that a holding circuit is completed from line 30, card lever contacts 33,

the full pocket contacts 34, stop key contacts tween adjacent edges of two cards is in line with the sorting brush. This opening of contacts C1 would break the holding circuit and stop operation of the machine. Provision is made, however, for closing a shunt circuit around these contacts through contacts R4a of a relay R4, which is energized through the following circuit completed by cam contacts C3 and C5 which, as shown in Fig. 3, close just before contacts C1 and open again after contacts C1 have reclosed. This circuit is traceable in Fig. 2 from line 30, contacts C3, contact roller I 6, sorting brush I5 (there being no card insulating brush I5 from roller i5 at this time), contacts C5, relay R4 t'o line 3|. It for any reason a record card has become misaligned, that is, retarded so that at the time contacts C1 open the brush |5 is separated from the contact roller I6 by the record card material, relay R4 will not be energized so that the motor control circuit is broken, and the machine will stop immediately.

The arrangement just explained is commonly known as a non-jamming device and is pro vided to stop the machine at the earliest possible time, especially where the thicker and more rigid cards are used, to prevent injury to the delicate sorting blades of the apparatus.

The normal sorting circuit is traceable from line to the usual commutator brush 3S, the commutator 31, brush 38, cam contacts C4, which are closed while the card is traversing the brush I5, contact roller I6, perforation in the record card, brush I5, contacts C5 (whose timing is the same as that of contacts C4) (see Fig. 3), brush relay R5, a so-called delay control relay R6, sorting magnet I1 to line 3|. Through this circuit the sorting magnet I1 is energized at the time a perforation is sensed to select the proper passage of the record card. The usual holding circuit is provided to maintain the magnet l1 energized for a period of time, which circuit is traceable from line 30, brush 39 of the holding commutator 40, brush 4I, contacts R511, relay R5,

.24 to line' 3| relay R6, magnet Il to line 3| Whenever a perforation occurs in a card passing brush I5, these circuits are completed and contacts Ria are opened as a result. When the sorting circuit is not completed, that is, when no perforation is sensed, the card is to go to the reject pocket and under such circumstances the solenoid 24 is to be energized to hold the trailing edge of the card in its horizontal position as the card passes t0 the pocket.

To bring this about, cam contacts CI are provided which are timed to close a short period after all perforation positions of the card have passed the brush l5 and, if contacts Ria have not been opened, a circuit will be completed from line 30,' contacts CI, contacts RBa, relay R1, solenoid Relay R1 closes its contacts R1a to complete a holding circuit from line 30, cam contacts C2, contacts R1a, relay R1, solenoid 24, to line 3|. As seen from Fig. 3, this holding circuit is held through the remainder of the cycle and well into the next following cycle.

It is thus seen that the detlecting solenoid 24 is brought into action only when the card is to be rejected or fed into the nearest pocket. It is seen also that the sorting brush I5 is provided with a double function, one function being that of controlling the sorting magnet I1 to select a sorting pocket for the card, While the latter is-passing the brush and the other being to serve as a detecting device during the interval between cards so as to interrupt the continued operation oi' the machine if a card is at the brushes at this detecting or testing time.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single mOdiCation, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a sorting machine, card feeding means, sensing means, a plurality of receiving stations, a distributing system comprising a plurality of blades formingl parallel passages for the cards from the sensing means to said stations, means for deflecting the cards from the passages at an angle into said stations, and means controlled by said sensing means upon the deflection of a card into a predetermined one of said stations for maintaining the trailing end of the card parallel to said passages until it has completely fed out of said passages.

2. In a sorting machine, card feeding means, sensing means, a plurality of receiving stations, a plurality of blades forming parallel passages for the cards from the sensing means to said stations, a sorting magnetv controlled by said sensing. means in response to perforations in the card for causing the card to enter a selected passage, 

